


Chain of Command

by CarpentryandDarkMagic



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: BDSM, Dom/sub, Established Relationship, F/M, Kink, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Spanking, submissive brat
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-17
Updated: 2015-04-05
Packaged: 2018-03-13 09:25:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3376358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CarpentryandDarkMagic/pseuds/CarpentryandDarkMagic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cullen has an idea to make his and Anwen's relationship more mutually satisfying. Unfortunately for him, it involves getting advice from another member of the Inquisition.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

During their (her) first teasing flirtations, Cullen had been easily flustered. There was something about the way Anwen approached him that made him uncertain about what she was actually seeking. He remembered their first meeting in the Valley of Sacred Ashes, the way she'd looked at him was already hungry; predatory. Varric had teased him later about her lingering glances as he'd helped a wounded recruit from the field. She'd asked about whether he'd taken vows of chastity and he'd been put completely off balance. Every time, in fact, that she had asked him questions about his intimate history he'd been unable to keep the flush from his cheeks. He was no innocent, but she was just so....aggressive. 

He hadn't failed to notice that the sarcasm and levity she aimed at her other advisors and companions never contained the same pointed sexual barbs as the ones meant for him. Others she joked with as equals. Him she liked to see blushing. She seemed to like especially when he attempted to keep up with her banter and was eventually forced to admit defeat when she took it that one step further. He found after their first night together - that too-abrupt encounter on his desk - that her competitive nature extended into the bedroom. Often enough she would start with playful teasing, he would reciprocate and then she would take it to a place he couldn't quite bring himself to follow. Once, emboldened by wine, he had responded to her provocations with a single playful spank to her rear. He realised at the spark kindling in her eyes that he had started down a road he wasn't prepared for. As usual he'd wound up on his back, her hands on his shoulders as she rode him mercilessly to intense, near-simultaneous completion. He had a tendency to come away from their nights together feeling...outpaced. Not that he was complaining exactly. Often enough (for him) their loveplay was tender and soft, especially after a particularly hard day or when one of them had suffered an injury. Any time her prodding struck a nerve she was appropriately apologetic, and despite his stammering he was tickled by her humour. Not to mention the amazing pleasure she was always happy to give him and the moments afterwards, wrapped up in each other, sweating and kissing gently. All the same after a few months Cullen decided it was time for him to find a way to start down that road. He was a strategist, after all. He relished a challenge. 

Eventually he was forced to concede to himself that even the best strategists often needed allies. Unfortunately for him, given Skyhold's remote location he had few to choose from. Given the delicate nature of the operation ahead of him he knew what his options were. Sera might have information that would be useful to him, but the asking would be literally unbearable and there was no way he could trust her to be discreet. Josephine or Leliana would likely be able to find such information, but while Anwen's closer companions were so often out in the field (that is, away from him) the spymaster and the ambassador were almost constantly underfoot. He wasn't sure he could endure that. Dorian was a possibility (Tevinter culture being what it was), and he knew that if he pressed the issue the mage would be as sweet as fresh butter during any...consultation, but that afterwards the commander would never live it down. Really he knew his best option and while he didn't look forward to actually confronting this learning experience, the reward afterward was too sweet to even think of giving up. With a heavy sigh, Cullen pulled a bottle and two glasses from a cupboard in his upper quarters and carried them down to the office to keep in his desk. For whenever he built up his courage enough to ask.

****

From the knocking on his door, Cullen knew who was standing on the other side. He called for them to enter and was slightly gratified to see The Iron Bull grumbling as he maneuvered his way in the door. Sideways, head bowed down to let one horn through, a step, then tipped the other way for the other horn before straightening up. There ended the gratification. When the Bull stood at his full height Cullen had never felt so small in all his life. After sending a runner to find him, he expected the Qunari (Tal-Vashoth now, he supposed but would never say) to open with "heard you wanted to see me, Commander", but instead...

"Hope you'll excuse the intrusion. I need to ask for a minute of your time."

Cullen was surprised, but didn't show it. "Of course, captain. How can I help the Chargers?"

The Bull came closer and that *small* feeling increased even after he was seated in the chair Cullen gestured at. 

Sitting, The Bull is still close to the eye level of a standing human. Cullen couldn't help but get anxious. 

"I'm actually not here on behalf of the Chargers. It's personal. I'm here for the Boss."

Cullen's eyebrows rose and his mind raced. Why would she send The Bull to speak to him? Was something wrong? Was Anwen safe? Had something happened while she was in the field?

"Relax, Commander. She's fine. Strictly speaking she doesn't know I'm here."

"Oh. But then...?"

"Hey, I said I was here *for* her, not that she sent me. She'd thank me, though, if she knew. You might not."

Cullen didn't know what to say, but The Bull continued anyway. 

"I've seen you ride. You're pretty good at it. Trained for a long time in the Order, right?"

"Ride? Sorry, did An...The Inquisitor want you to talk to me about horsemanship?"

"The Boss didn't want me to talk to you at all, remember? You're good with the men in the training field, too. A good balance of stern correction and concern for their progress, but human, you know? A little personal touch."

Cullen nodded uncertainly. "Thank you?"

"You're welcome," he said in that drawl of his. "You should think about applying those qualities to...other areas. Of your life." He cleared his throat pointedly. "Of the Boss' life."

"OH." The realization hit him like a maul in the chest. 

"Yyyyeah. You know," he said grinning. "Your lives *together*."

"Y-yes. Well..."

"But you have no idea how to do that."

"Maker's breath. You're going to tell me, aren't you?"

"And you're going to pour me a drink, aren't you?"

Cullen stood and fetched that bottle from his cupboard and both glasses. 

"Pouring a drink for myself might be more of a priority, if it's all the same to you."

He poured for both of them, they both drank and he poured again. 

"So listen, you grew up training, living in barracks, right?"

Cullen nodded warily.

"So you know what soldiers are like. We talk. We talk about everything," he drew the word out.

Cullen scrubbed a hand along the back of his neck. "Oh I know. I was expecting talk and gossip. I knew SHE would 

talk. I was just hoping I might not have to hear about it so *directly*."

The Bull shrugged his enormous grey shoulders with a grin. 

"You'll be grateful for it, afterwards, I promise you. I know it's going to kill you to have this whole conversation, what with the whole blushing virgin schoolboy thing you have going on. I can see why she likes you."

Cullen raised an eyebrow. "Did she say that? The blushing virgin part?"

"No, it's just part of your whole thing with her, isn't it? Maybe you really can't help it. Either way it drives her crazy. In a good way."

The Commander snorted a laugh and shook his head. 

"She's not unsatisfied, if you're worried about that. It's just that...When you're together, she plays the brat, right? She'll tease you and challenge you and you try to play along and end up backing down, because she just keeps pushing. So it seems like she really gets off on being in control, right?"

"Right," he tries to keep his voice steady, but *Maker* he's mortified. He'd really been planning this on his own? What was he *thinking*?!

"Well it's just like riding a horse, Commander. Sometimes a good horse knows where it needs to go and it can get there without much leading, and that works for the horse and the rider. But sometimes, even if the horse knows where it needs to go, taking the reins winds up getting you there faster or better, right? Better for you, better for the horse, everyone's a little bit happier."

"Listen, I'm really *not* the blushing virgin everyone seems to think I am," Cullen begins. 

"Well, the blushing is definitely true," Bull teases.

"Everyone knows about what men talk about -or do- in barracks. I'm thirty years old, for pity's sake! . If she's talked to you, you know that I've tried and she's stopped me every time. So if what she wants is more...leadership. I just need to know how to do that without going too far."

The Bull made a sound that was half laugh and half sigh. 

"So many people are like this. I tried to tell her, if she wants to get her ass smacked more, she just needs to tell you! If you want to smack her ass, but you don't want to cross a line, just tell her!" He downed the rest of his second drink and poured a third, topping up Cullen's glass at the same time. "I can't tell you how many people do this to me, honestly." He put on a dreadful imitation of a woman's voice: "'Oh Bull you talk about crazy sex all the time how do I get my boyfriend to have crazier sex?' and I say something like 'I dunno, tell him you want to eat his asshole and if he's into it do it, what's the problem?' 'Oh Bull that's too much, can't YOU tell him for me?'" He sighed again, this time clearly for effect. "This isn't my preferred way of getting involved in a couple's sex life, you know. You never want to do it the fun way, just want a giant sexy messenger."

Cullen felt heat rising in his cheeks and that *small* feeling intensified in a strangely pleasant way he was not at all prepared to deal with at that moment. He cleared his throat awkwardly.

"I suppose I would have thought...that would take some of the fun out of it? 'Oh darling, would you like me to boss you around in bed?'"

"It can," Bull admitted. "But better to dull the mood for a few minutes first than ruin it later by breaking a boundary."

"Uhm, did she..." he began as The Bull lurched up out of the too-small chair (and he tried not to stare at the huge hand splayed on top of his desk) "she didn't really ask you about that, did she? That specific..."

The Bull smiled lasciviously. "The crazy sex part, basically. The ass eating?" He turned to leave. "I think answering that would be violating the boss' privacy. Besides..." he glanced back over his massive shoulder "Then I wouldn't have gotten to see that expression right there. I'll give you this: she *did* say that she likes the way you use your teeth."

Cullen knew the blush was spreading across his face, and shifted uncomfortably behind his desk, grateful when the Bull finally made his awkward exit, grinning ear-to-ear.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cullen puts his plan in action

Quick as a thought, Cullen spun her around, bringing her wrists together behind her and holding them in place with one hand. He pushed her forward - not ungently - until her hips bumped against the edge of the table. She laughed readily and tried to pull herself away. Normally he would let her, and the tension in the air would turn to joking, or she would wrestle control from him and he would find himself on his back. This time he tested. He gripped her wrists more tightly, gave a little shove so she stayed in place. 

"Right here in the war room, Commander?"

"Is that a problem?" Cullen didn't try to keep the desire from darkening his voice. 

"You're the one who's always blushing and stammering. I didn't think you had it in you, even with a locked door."

"Well since you can never keep your voice down anyway I thought we might as well. You seem to enjoy knowing that everyone can hear you, don't you?"

She chuckled. "I just thought it might be a bolster to your male ego."

Cullen gave her a slight tap on the ass. Nothing sharper than what she'd recieved before in his timid attempts. She laughed in response.

"Liar. You couldn't keep quiet if you tried." He reached around and cupped his free hand around one still-clothed breast, circling her nipple with his thumb.

"This would be the perfect place to test me, you know. If you really believe that."

She canted her hips backward to try and rub against him with the curve of her ass. He gave her breast a squeeze and leaned forward to kiss her neck. Lips soft and open, trailing wetness along the line of her jaw. His greater height let him keep his groin just beyond the reach of her hips whilst burying his nose in her fragrant hair. 

"I'm not interested in testing you, Lady Trevelyan." His hand wandered down her belly, feeling the muscles jump and shiver under his touch, until he reached the waist of her trousers and slipped beneath the fabric. She moaned and this time pushed her hips forward in an attempt to force his fingers against the tender flesh between her legs but he denied her, instead stroking among the soft curls just above the parting of her lips. Her head lolled back on his shoulder and she sighed. 

"If you're looking instead to fuck me you'll have better luck if you get my pants off first."

He withdrew his hand for another smack, slightly harder.

"Answer me only when I speak to you. Otherwise you will be quiet." The words felt alien, but at this point he knew he was only barely outside the boundaries of the games they'd played before. He'd been mortified when the Bull had sought him out, but he was starting to be grateful for the advice. How to keep the balance between safety and comfort while making sure she was getting what she wanted...Even after years of command he felt right now he would have to fake much of the confidence that came naturally to Anwen.

"I thought you said I..."

He interrupted her by giving her another shove against the edge of the table and kicking her ankles apart easily with one foot. 

"Legs open, mouth shut."

To his surprise she had no snappy comeback. She simply gave a small moan and leaned herself forward. With her hands still held behind her she gave the effect of presenting her rear while pushing her breasts out in front, offering him his choice. Taking the opportunity, Cullen pulled down her trousers as briskly as he could one-handed and reached between her parted thighs to pass just one teasing finger along the cleft of her nether lips. He watched as she bit her lip, somewhat amazed that she was actually obeying him. He increased the pressure, stroking forward to that solid nub of flesh beneath the wet stain seeping through her small clothes. He spent a few moments touching and caressing before finally sliding under the edge of the thin cloth and circling his fingertips lightly around her entrance. 

"Cullen, just fuck me, please!" Her begging trailed on, thoughtless, for a few seconds as she squirmed in his grip. 

Cullen drew one hand back , ready to deliver a stinging slap to her backside. "Anwen, are you alright? Is this what you want?" he nibbled along the nape of her neck. "Rough like this? Rougher?"

Her guttural gasp of assent was like a shock of lightning in his belly. He leaned back and when he spoke it was in a tone he might use in the training ring. 

"Then you will not ask again, until you are instructed. Understood?" The easy confidence in his tone was put on, remembered from years of commanding knights and soldiers and trusting that they would comply. 

"Yes!"

*slap* 

Immediately after he withdrew his hand he carressed the already reddening skin. "Yes?"

"Yes, Ser!" She was so quiet and so quick to correct herself that Cullen's anxiety faded into the background. 

"Good girl."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The culmination of Cullen's project.

Anwen struggled to keep the sounds of her pleasure quiet. He was right, of course. She was excited by the possibility that someone might hear them. Not that she *tried* to be loud usually. But the thought that he could bring her to the point where she couldn't control herself, that others would know. Even the humiliation of it sent a shiver through her.

Cullen ran a rough-calloused hand over the brightened skin of her ass, stroking his way up to the dimples at her lower back and the lush curves of hips and waist. 

"Maker you're lovely," he breathed and she preened at the compliment. 

"Thank you, Ser."

She was rewarded again with a kiss to the nape of her neck, but when she wriggled happily in his arms his lips were replaced by a hand giving her a firm shove against the table. 

"You behave as if this were for your benefit, Lady Inquisitor. Perhaps you need a reminder of why you're here."

Cullen stepped forward so that she could feel the hot press of his cock against her again. She whined and reared back, but he responded with another jarring shove and a brisk slap to the other side of her ass. Then with both hands on her shoulders he spun her around and pushed downward. 

"On your knees," he instructed with a dark gleam in his golden eyes. 

Smiling, Anwen obeyed eagerly. Her hands flew to the leather belt at his waist. She made quick work of freeing his cock from his breeches and he groaned appreciatively when she licked a stripe from base to tip. She took the head into her mouth with a swirl of her tongue and then one of his hands was resting gently on top of her head. 

"Anwen," he said and she looked up at him through her eyelashes. "We should have a word...a signal in case you want this to stop."

Anwen laid a tender kiss against the head of his member, smiling. "I never want this to stop," she murmured.

"Please, love, this is important. Something you won't say by accident, so I'll know."

Anwen thought, her hand still working slowly up and down his shaft.

"Hessarian," she said decisively. 

Cullen nodded.

"Open," he told her and a thrill ran through her. She relaxed her mouth and jaw and felt him push slowly into her mouth. She could tell he was holding himself back, testing her limits. To encourage him she bobbed her head forward, swallowing at the same time until he was buried in the depth of her throat. Cullen cried out at the unexpected sensation and stilled himself. She could hear him breathing heavily above her. With an obscene gulping sound she rocked her head back and forth, swallowing him each time until her nose pressed against the nest of blonde curls. He thrust his hips very gently, being careful not to hold too tightly in case she were to choke or wanted to stop. The sensation of being guided began to overwhelm her; the metal of his belt jangled with his movements, her blood thrummed in her ears, her eyes were watering slightly. She could feel his fingers twitching in her hair. Her mouth was full of the salty, slightly bitter taste of him that she relished. He was panting gutturally now and everything else in the world was being drowned out. Everything but Cullen and how she could please him. 

Suddenly he gave a stuttering gasp and yanked her away, shakily petting the top of her head. She coughed and wiped at her eyes and mouth. Her eyes were watering and she didn't want him to think she was weeping. He pulled her up to him and kissed her tenderly on her flushed lips. 

"That was wondeful," he purred, "but you wouldn't want this to end quickly, would you?"

She nuzzled against his cheek.

"No, Ser."

He took her chin in his strong hand and searched her eyes. She smiled for him. 

"Even with my cock in your throat you think this is still about what you want," he sighed, his voice low and heated. "What can I do to make you remember?"

"Anything, ser. Anything that pleases you."

Despite his insistence to the contrary, Anwen knew this game was for her benefit. He might say otherwise, that she was here to serve at his pleasure, that this was all about him, but she could see the look of affection - almost reverence - in his eyes.

He lifted her easily by her hips and set her on the edge of the war table. Strong hands pulled at her trousers and tunic until she was stripped bare before him. He spread her legs and then stepped between them. Her heart was racing with anticipation. 

"Sit still," he murmured while he removed his own belt. His cock was still bared to her view and she wet her lips un-self-consciously while she stared. "Hands behind you."

She did as instructed and then he reached around her and she felt the leather sliding around her wrists. This time she was restrained, leaning back on her elbows while he had both hands free. Once again he stroked across her chest, squeezing each breast as he did. He watched her face to see her response. Her teeth closed on her lower lip. Then with one hand tilting her hips backward, the other reached between their bodies to stroke at her sex, parting her and pressing the head of his cock inside. Anwen let her her head fall back and moaned loudly while he teased her with shallow thrusts, but stilled instantly when she felt his hand sliding up between her breasts. He was leaning forward to tell her to silence herself while burying himself deep, but when she felt his fingers alight on her neck she couldn't hold back. With a series of gasps she rocked herself against him, coming hard around his cock and begging him not to stop. Cruelly, Cullen pulled out of her, panting, but left his hand around her neck. 

"I'm beginning to think it pleases you to disobey me. Does it, Anwen?"

"No, no ser, please..."

"Enough." He reached between her legs again, petting the still-twitching flesh. "Did I give you permission to come?" He stroked and then stopped when she bucked against him.

"No! No ser, I'm sorry!"

"I think if you were truly sorry you would stop being so disobedient." He squeezed his fingers around her neck, but only gently. "Was this what caused you to disobey me?"

"Yes ser!" Her voice came in a breathy whine. 

Once again he moved his fingers against the wet slick between her thighs while the hand at her throat moved down to roll a nipple between his finger and thumb. 

"What should you do next time that happens and I haven't permitted you?"

She hesitated. He pinched harder.

"You'll tell me, and I will either give you permission or instruct you to stop. Correct?"

"Yes ser!"

"Good girl. If you don't, I shall have to punish you again. Or maybe I'll just leave you here, like this, wet and aching and bound."

Anwen whined and shuddered. She could feel the tightness building in her belly again but he'd been teasing her so long that she almost wanted to disobey him, partly for the release and partly to see what would happen. But then he removed his hand and leaned forward to kiss her hotly, still pawing at her breasts, and she could feel him using his other hand to spread her thighs again to step between them. She tilted her hips back to provide him with easier access and he murmured approval into her mouth. She didn't know where he suddenly found the stamina to do it, but soon he was moving inside her again, bringing her to the edge over and over, and each time she would signal her nearness or he would simply notice and he would stop. Keeping quiet grew more difficult with each thwarted release, but any time she was too loud, Cullen would draw away from her, leaving her to squirm and whimper in discomfort and disappointment and he wouldn't return until she'd apologized. A few more times he would see the way she leaned her head back and would put his hands or his mouth to her throat or her breasts as a reward for a few moments of obedience. 

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Cullen kissed her mouth and asked her if she was ready to come. Anwen needed a few seconds to compose herself and find her voice. 

"Yes, please, Ser."

"Ask me." That alone set the fire burning in her to new heat.

"Cullen, please, I want to come," she gasped.

He squeezed her ass painfully, lacking the space to strike it.

"You've forgotten yourself already," he growled and she wriggled as the muscles at her center tightened. 

"Please, Ser, may I?"

"Beg me," he sighed, slowing his pace and gripping both her hips tightly. 

"Please, Cullen, Ser please, please..." A torrent of words flowed out of her, entreating and praising him, her voice desperate. He stopped moving entirely but to press the length of his body closer to hers.

"Lovely," he sighed, mouthing at her neck and jaw. "You beg so wonderfully, Anwen. Come for me."

And suddenly it was like a dam was removed, her whole body clenched and spasmed beneath him and she came even harder than before. Now she was truly unable to contain herself and it took Cullen's mouth over hers to stem the tide of her screams. Her eyes were wide but unseeing as she thrashed on the edge of the table, using what leverage she could to grind his cock inside her as he remained still. She begged again, repeating her request from earlier in the evening as the waves of her climax ebbed.

"Cullen, please please fuck me, please, I want you..."

"Good girl, let me hear you now," he groaned against her, and after pinning her to the table with a hand on her abdomen, gripped her hip tightly and slammed into her once, hard, before setting a steady pace. She could feel how smoothly he slid inside her, wet and ready as she was from the prolonged teasing. Occasionally he would snap his hips and drive up against her cervix causing her to gasp sharply or cry out. He no longer did anything to ensure her silence. Instead encouraging her, he used every trick he'd discovered that day to wring from her orgasm after orgasm. With her legs locked around his waist he pressed his hand against her throat, he licked and bit at her nipples, he stroked her swollen clit, he fucked her hard and fast; each until she was gasping, crying out, screaming his name, coming too hard and begging him to stop. It was too much, but not so much that she would say the word and end it. It was too much, and she wanted it never to end. 

Suddenly Cullen was hauling her up by her waist, pressing their bodies together as much as he could and wrapping his arms around her tightly. Through her blissful haze she could feel the rhythm of his hips changing, long strokes turning sharp and uneven. The sounds that he made were music to her, a chorus of grunts and moans, pleas of his own, praise and thanks and her name over and over. When he came, pressed as deeply inside her as he could physically be, she felt as though their bodies could melt together. When he stilled - cock still inside her, one hand tangled in her hair and the other resting in her own bound hands behind her back - she had never felt so complete.

They didn't stay that way for long. After a few moments a sweaty and flushed Cullen freed her hands and helped to chafe feeling back into her arms, sore and stiff from her confinement. He watched her face carefully as he petted her hair, stroked her cheeks and kissed her gently. He told her how well she'd done and how pleased he was. 

For her part, Anwen found herself struggling to focus. The world seemed fuzzy around the edges. At the moment there seemed to be little in it but her golden maned lover and the fact that she had made him happy. He asked her permission before he petted her throat or her breasts, he cupped her cheek in one hand while he straightened her hair and helped her dress. He sat her gently in a cushioned chair while he dressed himself and then walked with her back to her quarters. There he undressed her again, carefully, as though she had cracked all over and could shatter at any moment. He used cool water from a pitcher on her washstand to wet a cloth and clean their leavings from between her legs, then he laid her in her bed and covered her with fresh linens and warm woollen blankets.

Kneeling by the edge of her bed, he spoke quietly to her. 

"Would you rather I leave you, or that I stay, my love?"

By this time, Anwen had emerged from the quiet space inside her head and searched his concerned expression.

"Will you stay with me?"

He smiled. "Of course, if that is what you wish."

Cullen removed his wrinkled clothes and climbed between the sheets with her. He folded her up in his arms and sighed into her sweat-tangled hair. 

"You were wonderful, Cullen."

He smiled bashfully as she fingered the scar on his upper lip. 

"Truly? I didn't...over step?"

"Truly. Of course if you had, I could have said something. I could have stopped you. Because I know you would stop." She kissed him lovingly. "I trust you, and I know you'd never hurt me. Although the sight of my arse might have someone else thinking differently."

He blushed at her wicked grin and tipped his head forward until it rested against hers. 

"I'm glad to see nothing's changed between us," he groaned in tortured amusement. 

"I couldn't resist, love. Besides, I wouldn't want you to doubt it."

He laughed softly and kissed her again. 

"I love you, you know," he said, echoing her words to him after their first night together.

"I love you, too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have one more chapter planned, a little epilogue where Anwen thanks Cullen for his gift, but this is basically the end of this little story! 
> 
> Thanks so much for your visits and kudos my lovelies, and I hope people enjoyed this little treat!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Psudo-ku for the beta and title suggestion!


End file.
